IAAF ratifies 4 world records

MONACO (AP) — The IAAF has ratified a series of world records, including three marks set at the Rio Olympics last month.

Track and field's governing body ratified Ethiopian Almaz Ayana's world record time for the women's 10,000 meters of 29 minutes, 17.45 seconds. Ayana's time obliterated the 23-year-old mark of 29:31.78 by China's Wang Junxia.

South African athlete Wayde van Niekerk's time of 43.03 in the men's 400 — which broke Michael Johnson's previous world record of 43.18 — was also ratified, along with Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland's new record in the women's hammer. Wlodarczyk improved on her previous world mark of 81.08 meters with a throw of 82.29 to take gold in Rio.

The IAAF also ratified the world record set by American Kendra Harrison in the women's 100 hurdles with a time of 12.20 in London in July. The previous record of 12.21 was set by Yordanka Donkova of Bulgaria back in 1988.